Persimmon Cheesecake
You'll love this classic New York cheesecake, nestled in a spicy gingersnap crust, and topped with a sweet and seasonal persimmon topping!
Good morning my friends! It's Tuesday and we are coming off of a long weekend. I hope you had a good one!
Ours was full of fun and family. My brother- and sister-in-law came to stay with us for a few days, along with their whole crew. They've got two sweet little girls and it was great to spend time with them. I'm so used to lots of noise and jumping around and commotion all the time with my crazy boys; it's always refreshing to snuggle up and whisper secrets with my little niece. And so cute to see her little baby sister toddling around and trying to twist her mouth around the words "Aunt Allie!"
Before they arrived, I took an afternoon to bake up this simple cheesecake and try a new-to-me ingredient!
Have you ever tried a persimmon before? Every year right around this time, I see them at my local market, but I've never really known much about them. So, last time, I picked up a few and gave them a taste. They're really good! Nothing at all like I expected, lol. They look like a tomato, and for some reason I exected them to be really slippery textured and and tart/spicy, but I couldn't have been more wrong! They are extremely mild and sweet, and the texture is more like a pear or a very firm plum.
I just cooked them down and pureed them, adding a little lemon to bring out the flavor. The topping works really well with the creamy cheesecake and spicy gingersnap crust.
This cheesecake can serve a crowd! Which is exactly what we are "virtually" doing for my friend Meggan from Culinary Hill. She just had a little baby girl and so a few of us have gotten together to give her a little baby shower. There are lots of delicious recipes here, so please be sure to click around and have a look! And don't forget to drop by Culinary Hill to congratulate Meggan. Tell her Allie sent ya!
Helen of Scrummy Lane: Strawberry Angel Cake Skewers with Chocolate Dipping Sauce
Janette of Culinary Ginger: White Vanilla Cupcakes with Orange
Nagi of Recipe Tin Eats: Classic Lamingtons
Maggie of Omnivore's Cookbook: Healthy Green Curry Mac & Cheese
Mira of Cooking LSL: Condensed Milk Cookies
Kathleen of Hapa Nom Nom: Fortune Cookies
Allie of Baking a Moment: Persimmon Cheesecake
Special thank you's go out to Nagi of Recipe Tin Eats for inviting me to be a part of this fun event! Nagi, your Lamingtons look amazing girl!
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Ingredients
For the Cheesecake
- 18 gingersnap cookies
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) melted butter
- 24 ounces (680.39 g) cream cheese, (3 blocks), softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 eggs,, large
- 1 egg yolk,, large
- ¼ cup (59.15 ml) heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Topping
- 2 persimmons
- 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (78.86 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, (the juice of 1 lemon)
- ⅓ cup (78.86 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Instructions
To Make the Cheesecake:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly mist an 8-inch (straight-sided) cake pan with nonstick spray, and line with a circle cut from parchment.
- Process the gingersnaps finely in a food processor. Stir in the melted butter, and press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and flour on medium speed until well combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula after each addition.
- Stir in the egg yolk, cream, vanilla, and salt, and pour the mixture over the gingersnap crust.
- Place the cheesecake pan into a larger pan, and fill the larger pan with about an inch or two of hot water. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees F and bake for an additional 75-90 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly towards the center.
- Turn the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature. Chill completely in the refrigerator before inverting onto a serving platter. Top with persimmon and whipped cream.
To Make the Topping:
- Core the persimmons and chop them roughly. Place them in a small pot along with the sugar and water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft.
- Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice. Spread the mixture in an even layer over the cheesecake.
- Whip the cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Pipe rosettes around the edge of the cheesecake.
Allie, this cheesecake is just gorgeous!! Congrats to Meggan and what a perfect dessert to celebrate with! My mom is a huge persimmon fan and we always had them around the house this time of year but I have never tried baking with them before. I love that you cooked them down and pureeed them for the topping. Such a creative and delicious idea:) Your photos and that gif are just stunning too! Love everything about this post!
Thank you so much Kelly! It sounds like you are a persimmon lover from way back- so it really means a lot that you liked this idea. Hope you had a great weekend sweetie!
I don't think I've ever tried a persimmon! But now I want to ... and then make cheesecake!! haha Looks delicious Allie!!
Definitely pick some up Ashley! They are so sweet and delish- I have no doubt you'd love them! Just make sure and grab the squattier-shaped ones. I'm told the other kind can be astringent. Hope you had a fun weekend! 😀
First of all this is just gorgeous!! I never thought of baking with persimmons and I love them. Genius. And secondly, I keep telling myself I need to use a cake pan to bake a cheesecake one of these days. But after my fail this weekend, I think your technique is just what I need to revisit that recipe. When you invert the cheesecake after chilling, does it just pop out? Your edges look so smooth so I am assuming it does!
It does, so long as I've sprayed the pan well and lined it with parchment. Also, sometimes I have to warm the bottom of the pan just a little bit. For this I would use a hot towel or even just a very low flame on my gas stove. Just enough to take the chill off so that things slip a little more easily. Thank you Z!
I. Am. Dying. This is so gorgeous and so creative! LOVE!!!
Amanda you are too kind!
YOU'RE KILLING ME HERE. THAT GIF!!!!!!!!
Never had persimmons, but I'm changing that ASAP for this cheesecake.
They were nothing at all like I expected- in a good way! Thanks Graham!
Persimmons are a favorite of mine, and I love that you topped this beautiful cheesecake with it! The sweet persimmons would be so delicious with that spicy gingerbread crust -- brilliant idea, Allie! Pinned. 🙂
Thank you so much Marcie!
You know I just tried a persimmon not too long ago and by itself it doesn't have a lot of flavor, but I am sure with lemon and sugar it really bring out the flavor. This cheesecake looks so pretty. I really love your photos.
I thought the same thing Nicole! There wasn't a whole lot of flavor there except sweet. The lemon really helped them out and so did the gingersnap crust. Thank you so much hon!
I have never had a persimmon before but after seeing this cheesecake I want to try one. I love that you say it isn't like you expect it to be. I see tomato all the way and wonder how it would taste.
Nothing like a tomato, lol! They were extremely sweet and kind of had a pear-like texture but with a thin, waxy skin like a plum. You should definitely give them a try! There are so few seasonal fruit options at this time of year.
Glad you had a nice long weekend Allie!
I love persimmons, but never thought they would make a great topping for cheesecake. Sounds and looks delicious, perfect for a baby shower!
Thanks Mira! It was such a pleasure teaming up with you for this!
OMG!!!! I love persimmons but they are only available in the month of November here!!!! I wish they still were because I loveeeee the pulpy flesh and it would go soooo amazingly well with this cheesecake and that gingersnap CRUST!!!!!!!!!! *Heart Eyes Emoji x 10*
Lol thank you Samina! I wish I could send you some!
What a perfect cheesecake and I love the persimmon topping! We have very delicious and fresh persimmon here but I never thought I can use them this way! Genius idea and beautiful pictures 🙂
Thank you Maggie! I really liked how it all worked together with the creamy cheesecake and spiced crust.
I love persimmons! I would have never thought to make a puree out of them though. Fabulous idea for a cheesecake, Allie!
Thanks Jen! I'm so glad I finally gave them a try 😉
It sounds like you had a blast over the weekend, Allie. I do love persimmon and this cheesecake is so droolworthy! Happy baby shower to Meggan! So nice when friends get together for a virtual shower.
It is! I was so grateful to have been invited to this one. Thank you so much Linda!
Such a gorgeous cheesecake! I love the persimmon flavor you chose, very unusual and interesting 🙂
Thank you June! I'm so happy you liked it!
Allie, your weekend sounds fabulous. . glad you got to spend some precious time with your nieces. . and I LOVE persimmons!!!!! Growing up my mom always had persimmons in the house! and this cheesecake is glorious!!! Happy baby shower to Meggan!!
No kidding Alice?! Did you just eat them out of hand or did she bake with them?
Allie, you have just solved a mystery for me! I've been seeing persimmons in my local supermarket for a while now, too, and kept meaning to find out what they were/what they tasted like but just never did. Now you've tested them out for me, I should give them a try, too!
The cheesecake looks absolutely divine, and I love that it doesn't sound too complicated to make - I bet your family were very impressed (although they're probably used to being impressed by you by now!)
Lol thank you Helen! Yes you should definitely not be afraid of persimmons- they are really lovely and I will be adding them to our fruit bowl from now on!